"Of course, we ignore them. Just find an excuse to send them away."
"Huh? But how?"
"It's simple..."
Niu Zida revealed a mischievous smile, beckoned Amelie closer, and then, taking hold of Amelie's large, snow-white breasts, he played with them while explaining his plan to Amelie, instructing her to proceed as he outlined.
The next day, Amelie had the kingdom's envoy come to the castle, stating that she would formally receive him in the castle and also host a banquet. After being invited, the envoy departed from the inn. As soon as he stepped out, he saw a crowd of ragged commoners gathered at the entrance. So many people blocking the door startled the envoy, who quickly turned to his protecting knight:
"What's going on here?"
"Nothing much. These are vagrants from the territory. Recently, to support the kingdom's war efforts, after the Viscount's death, Lady Amelie has been busy preparing taxes and able-bodied men. As a result, the territory has become like this, and many vagrants who couldn't survive entered the city."
"Oh? So the territory is struggling so much."
"Indeed. But rest assured, the Lady will fulfill her obligations to the kingdom. Sir, please follow me this way. Try not to get close to that group of vagrants; they have bad tempers, and I hear they get angry and resentful when they see an envoy from the kingdom."
"Oh, why is that?"
"Because they believe their poverty is caused by the kingdom's wars, alas. These vagrants are truly too much, they don't understand national affairs. But please be careful, honored envoy. If you stray too far from me and these vagrants take the opportunity to rush forward, I cannot guarantee your absolute safety. After all, no one knows what these country bumpkin vagrants might do. I'll walk quickly, you must keep up. Once we shake off these vagrants and enter the castle, it will be fine."
The knight protecting the envoy deliberately spoke this way to scare him. The envoy, as expected, fell for it and quickly huddled close to the knight, afraid of being accidentally surrounded by the vagrants. Yet, even so, he felt unsafe, especially since the knight was walking so fast that he couldn't keep up. After only a few steps, the knight disappeared, leaving him surrounded by a group of vagrants staring at him with hostility.
"You... you all... move aside... quickly move aside."
The envoy, unable to find the knight protecting and guiding him, panicked. He threatened the vagrants, hoping they would make way. But before he could finish speaking, someone among the vagrants shouted:
"These dogs are here again to collect taxes and take people to war!"
"If this continues, we definitely won't survive! Kill him!"
"Beat him!"
The crowd suddenly became agitated. Before the envoy could understand what was happening, a group of vagrants rushed forward, punching and kicking him. With so many people swarming him, the envoy could only cover his head, unable to see who was hitting him. He didn't dare to be tough, only repeatedly begged for mercy and shouted for help. Finally, after being beaten for a short while, presumably the knight who had been protecting him earlier came back to find him, drove away the crowd, and rushed in to rescue the envoy.
"I'm sorry, honored envoy, it's my subordinate's inadequate protection..."
"This place of yours is too much! How can the Lady be so lenient with these vagrants?"
"There's nothing I can do. There are too many vagrants like this now. Besides, didn't I tell you, honored envoy, to stick close to me? You can't get lost, or it's very dangerous."
"I... how was I supposed to know... you walked so fast..."
"If I didn't walk fast and you got surrounded, honored envoy, you saw the result, didn't you?"
The knight looked innocent. The envoy, with a bruised and swollen face, could only accept his bad luck and quickly followed the knight into the castle. Upon seeing the guards, he thought, at last, he was safe.
"Honored envoy, what happened to you?"
Inside the castle, Amelie was shocked to see the envoy and quickly questioned the knight beside her:
"Didn't I tell you to protect the honored envoy well? How did he end up like this?"
"Lady, I couldn't help it. There were too many vagrants outside, and we were surrounded as soon as we left. If I hadn't come back later and protected him with my life, something even more terrible might have happened."
"Hmm, it's not this knight's fault. Those mud-footed commoners were indeed too much."
After all, the knight had just saved him, so the envoy didn't overly blame the knight. Besides, he still needed the knight's protection. Blaming him now might mean he wouldn't even leave the territory alive. The envoy naturally couldn't blame the knight who came to protect him at this moment.
"Ah, those mud-footed commoners are truly annoying. Are you alright?"
"Do I look like I'm fine?"
"My sincerest apologies, Envoy."
Amelie quickly apologized, but took the opportunity to complain:
"There's nothing that can be done. As you've seen, the territory's internal situation is quite dire due to supporting the Kingdom's war efforts. Of course, to support the Kingdom, I will find a way to manage taxes and soldiers, please rest assured. However…"
Before she could finish, shouts already echoed from outside the castle. Amelie was puzzled and asked a maid to check. Soon, the maid returned in a panic, saying:
"Reporting, Madam, a group of commoners are gathered outside the castle, demanding the Envoy be killed and refusing to send any more people to the battlefield."
"How dare they! These commoners, they actually dared to cause trouble at the castle."
Amelie was furious upon hearing this, her willow-like brows furrowed in anger. She quickly instructed a knight nearby:
"Go and send men to quickly drive away these commoners! What kind of behavior is this? To cause trouble while I'm receiving an esteemed envoy from the Kingdom, it's a complete disgrace to Dore Territory! Has Chapter 82 my husband's death made these country folk no longer respect me?"
"Yes, Madam, I will go now and lead men to disperse them. However, Madam, it's clear they are targeting the esteemed Envoy. Simply driving them away won't guarantee the Envoy's safety."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I think it would be better for the esteemed Envoy to leave tonight to avoid any accidents if he stays here too long. Otherwise, if we just simply drive them away, I fear it will only accumulate greater resentment. What if they attack the guesthouse targeting the Envoy?"
"What are you saying? The esteemed Envoy has just arrived in our territory. We haven't even entertained him, and you want him to leave? Besides, am I afraid of commoners?"
"Ah, this…? What this Knight said is also true. I think I should go back first. If I stay here too long and something really happens, it won't be good for anyone."
Unexpectedly, the Envoy was the first to back down. After all, he had been beaten before and suffered a loss. The knight's words just now had reminded him of something: what if someone attacked the guesthouse at night and killed him? Given how things looked during the day, it wasn't impossible. If the commoners' unrest led to his death, at most the Kingdom would give his wife and children a pension, and that would be the end of it. They wouldn't heavily blame Dore Territory, as they still relied on Dore Territory for taxes and soldiers. In the end, wouldn't he be the one to lose out? So he wasn't foolish and quickly requested to leave this troublesome place.